Chrysler to sell Electric FIAT 500 in US in 2012

Made its debut in Detroit auto show, FIAT 500 EV will be developed by Chrysler in US which will go on sale in later 2012, announced Chrysler yesterday.

Last year Chrysler announced plans to assemble the Fiat 500 with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine for North America. That vehicle, which will be built in Mexico, will debut later this year.

“The alliance with Fiat presented new opportunities to merge Chrysler Group engineering knowledge with new platforms, and the Fiat 500EV is an outstanding example of our efforts,” Scott Kunselman, Chrysler’s senior vice president of engineering, said in a statement. “The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology.”

The automaker disclosed that the electrical design work will be done at Chrysler’s offices in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Chrysler said it is exploring ways to promote zero-emission transportation and the development of an electric-vehicle charging infrastructure through partnerships to be announced. Chrysler is behind other major automakers in bringing rechargeable electric vehicles to market. Nissan Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. will sell electric models this year.

Though there is no word on the pricing officially but Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has said earlier that the 500EV concept would sell for about $32,000 if it went on the market, of which $16,000 covered the cost of the batteries.

Chrysler did not announce a production target for the 500EV but expects to produce about 56,000 electric vehicles annually by 2014.